Thresholds and Cages - April 12, 2011

Another redwood forest walk with Marion Woodman inspiration on needing to shed baggage at threshold transitions or be left hauling that baggage through life. I paused at a favorite burned out redwood stump with an open threshold in and an exit threshold opposite,  sort of entrance/exit thresholds, encasing a small sanctuary.

Two other strong images also emerged – masks and cages. Mask-ed threshold and self masks. Feeling the impetus to make a stack of face molds to have on hand for necessary art explorations.

Cages came to mind in terms of my feeling of work these days, where body is caged in the physical office but mind and soul are free to range … and do so liberally. A cage is an interesting semi-permeable barrier which can never enslave the whole being.  As I walked through the forest path, the redwoods took on a cage-like feel in their spaced verticality, but in this case, because I am so small, they pose no captive ability.

These musings resulted in the following poem titled Thresholds and Cages

Grateful for when, where, what, and especially who ---

perched on the edge of now,

and blinking into next,

I wonder … why?

Delicious mystery envelopes like redwood forest,

soft underfoot,

vertical cage that can't contain my smallness.

Ears ring with silence,

Light shrouds eyes

Skin touches Reality.

Friend of time,

forest laughs at the question

and breathes the rhythm of yes.